Re: Informix patches?

Mark Townsend said: > Obnoxio The Clown wrote: > >> >>> doesn't Informix release such patches? I don't mean >> >> Because Informix isn't as prone to being hacked as Oracle is. (Note that >> I >> have chosen my words very carefully, here. :o) >> > > Very well chosen words. > > Oracle also has patches (one offs), and every 9 months or so bundles > them into a patchset, which when applied increments the release number > (i.e. 10.2.0.3 becomes 10.2.0.4 when the latest patchset for 10.2 is > applied). > > Generally customers will look at what is fixed in a given patchset, and > decide if they will apply it or not (if you have 8000 installations, > patching them all to the same level is expensive). > > However, some problems are security problems. And this causes a Catch > 22. If Oracle sends out a patch or a patchset that describes and fixes a > security problem, then everyone that reads the patchset notes now knows > what that security problem is. And if they don't then apply the patch or > patchset, then Oracle has now made the problem worse- a previously > unknown vulnerability is now widely known, and could potentially be > taken advantage of. So a CPU is a special patchset, that comes out > regulary, that just fixes known security vulnerabilities. It comes out > on all platforms at the same time so that no one platform is favored (or > disadvantaged over another). And they come out at regular times so that > customers can plan on at least applying this set of fixes, even if they > apply nothing else. Not a bad strategy. Either that, or your words are also very well chosen ... :o) -- Bye now, Obnoxio "I'm astonished anyone pays real money for this crap." -- Cosmo "Cluster in my trousers" -- Guy Bowerman -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by OpenProtect(http://www.openprotect.com), and is believed to be clean.